For some it's a hobby, and for others it's their whole life. What does it mean to you?
For some it's a hobby, and for others it's their whole life. What does it mean to you?
It started as a Fetish, progressed to a habit and hobby and then I excepted it as a part of my life.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]Fran
It's worth something just being around to Fuss!
Definate hobby. But one I enjoy as much as others.
Teri Ray Rural Idaho Girl.
Oh my God, several years ago I talked about my "Hobby" and offended someone. The real neat part of this forum is the diversity of the group. From full trans, to the casual person who holds a special love for one or a few items. Due to wife, family, and work, my expression is very limited. It is exciting to enjoy the story being told and the photo shared by our sisters. Be Well, Live, Love, be Safe and enjoy! Tora. Oh, and the personal meaning is joyful. Thanks for asking.
I think that we worry to much about definitions.
It is neither a hobby or lifestyle.
It's me.
I want to be a woman. Feel like woman. Act like a woman and be desired as a woman.
Whatever people want to call it it is up to them. Personally, my paintings, music, researching modern history are hobbies. My CDing is much more than that, not my whole life but a very important part of it. I could give up any hobby, but never dressing.
Here today, gone tomorrow....
I just love how this thread came out so far! It's such a great thing to see all the different responses. Whether it's a hobby, lifestyle, identity, or whatever you want to call it, one thing's for certain, crossdressing is a hugely important part of many lives! I love that!
Don't think I have gotten to a lifestyle full time and probably never will get that far. I love Crossdressing though. My hobbies I look at that I could quit any time and might miss them but my CD I've quit many times but always go back to it.
From age 12 to 40 it was a hobby. Something that was fun to do from time to time with never any need to partake. From 40 its just part of me its fundamental to who i am.
A.K.A Rebecca & Bec
It may have started something like a hobby or fun side activity but it is much more than that now.
well here's the dictionary thing:
hobby 1 |ˈhäbē|
noun (pl. hobbies)
1 an activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure: "her hobbies are reading and gardening."
So I guess I'm going to go with "hobby' for me. I don't want to become a woman but I sure like dressing up as one...it brings pleasure and I do it in my leisure time...although somehow 'hobby' doesn't really get at the essence of it. Makes it sound too "ohhhh I do this for fun," 'cause it's more than that.....hard to pin it down....sometimes I get concerned I do it too much in my leisure time to the exclusion of other (more productive?) things, but hey ! Whaddya gonna do? Guess you've just got to find the balance.
A part of me. Although checking out and coming up with outfits is more like a hobby.
Given these two options I will go with hobby as I tend to dress regularly in my leisure time.
I have never been able to wrap my brain around declaring wearing women's clothing and emulating a woman a "hobby." I would not suggest telling your wife that wearing women's clothing is a "hobby." She probably will tell you to find something else to do like collect coins. That's a nice dictionary definition of a hobby. Then, why hide it?
I think I'm there. A closet dresser with 100's of T friends with whom I do most of my socializing with!
U can't keep doing the same things over and over and expect to enjoy life to the max. When u try new things, even if they r out of your comfort zone, u may experience new excitement and growth that u never expected.
Challenge yourself and pursue your passions! When your life clock runs out, you'll have few or NO REGRETS!
Certainly not a hobby. A compulsion, a need, a part of who I am? Yes! The more explore this side of me the more I realise it's also more than just cross dressing. Quite how far I'd like to take it and how far I can take it are two different things.
Lifestyle definitely, started out as a hobby but now it is me.
Having been brought up believing that I was really supposed to be a girl, and expecting god to 'fix' me, wearing girl clothes simply felt like what I was supposed to do. Over time, that became the norm for me, so by the time I got out of jr high school, I only felt normal when I was dressed up as a girl. That feeling has never gone away. So for me, crossdressing is simply all about feeling normal. In contrast, when I'm wearing men's clothing, I always feel like I'm in a costume and acting the part of a male in a play or something. It's that odd feeling you'd get, say, if you were wearing a pirate costume at a formal dinner. You'd simply feel like you're wearing the wrong thing.
Some causes of crossdressing you've probably never even considered: My TG biography at:http://www.crossdressers.com/forums/...=1#post1490560
There's an addendum at post # 82 on that thread, too. It's about a ten minute read.
Why don't we understand our desire to dress, behave and feel like a girl? Because from childhood, boys are told that the worst possible thing we can be, is a sissy. This feeling is so ingrained into our psyche, that we will suppress any thoughts that connect us to being or wanting to be feminine, even to the point of creating separate personalities to assign those female feelings into.
Please count me in the column of those that evolved from a hobby and curiosity into a lifestyle that is ever in the back of my mind and being at all times. What it did was release the latent female side of me that has been under my skin for decades. I am sorry that it took me so long to realize it.
Sarah Adams, mature girl from NH. My photos are on Flickr under vintage4sarah !
Like several others have said, it's more than a hobby, but not a lifestyle.
Karen
If cross dressing is a hobby, why are so many cross dressers afraid of being "caught" dressed or having someone find their collection of clothing?
Why are we so afraid of being caught in the act of enjoying our hobby? Do stamp collectors have similar fears? Do you hide your model car collection and worry about your wife or girlfriend finding it and telling your family?
It can't really be a hobby. Hobbies can be picked up on a whim. I doubt many of use simply decided one day to go "hmm CDing looks interesting, wearing panties and bra's and looking sexy, I think I will casually pick this hobby up and go to the store and buy everything I need". Hobbies are like that, You decide that something seems interesting enough to jump into and you just buy most of what you need.
I mean technically you can consider it a hobby if it makes you sleep better at night. CDing is like masturbation, you wouldn't call masturbation a hobby now would you? while masturbation is sexual, CDing is more of a emotional stimulation which could* heighten a sexual act ten fold.
I couldn't recommend Crossdressing to a guy friend like it was a hobby, It's something that finds you on a curious day and then grows with time.
I guess it depends solely on the definition of "Hobby"
noun
noun: hobby; plural noun: hobbies
1.
an activity done regularly in one's leisure time for pleasure.
By that definition alone CDing is a hobby...Then again CDing alone isn't a "activity", You could get dressed which is one, do your makeup which is another, put your wig on, But once you're all dolled up you are "CDing" yet not doing an "activity".
A good comparison would be "is being emo a hobby", It almost sounds like it's a phase that people choose with little thought. I don't think many of us here placed that order for that first article of clothing with an easy attitude of "gee wiz i can't wait to start becoming a beautiful woman".
I used to think it was something between a kink/hobby/lifestyle choice for me. But honestly it's a part of me and who I am as a person. Vintage technology and old V8's are a hobby to me, Stacey is a part of who I am (and I have never been happier)